Now is the Summer of Our Discontent.
A double-whammy afflicts our land: a deadly virus that spreads fear, sucks up hospital beds, and kills; and a political rage over police brutality that shouts, trashes, and burns. And kills. This dynamic duo feeds on itself, with the constraints imposed by the virus intensifying the political unrest and the crowds of angry people spreading the virus. Waves of fear, anger, and death wash over us.
Many preach reform, some whisper revolution.
For the Wise Guy, having lived through 1968, this Summer of Our Discontent is déjà vu all over again. A double whammy of discontent roiled America then too: The Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam movements. The assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy fueled the rage. The protest crowds were larger and the destruction greater in 1968 – but 2020 is only six months old.
The Wise Guy, a prudent radical in 1968, but now just a bystander with a pen, searches for Wisdom in these dark days. He seeks facts, coherent analysis and a religious perspective that shed light on the issues and point to a way forward
On June 27/28, 2020, the Wall Street Journal published an article, “America Doesn’t Need a New Revolution,” Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a black female immigrant from Somalia via The Netherlands to America. The Wise Guy found Great Wisdom in this piece. Here are a few quotes.
“Outrage is the natural response to the brutal killing of George Floyd. Yet outrage and clear, critical thinking seldom go hand in hand.”
“What the media also do not tell you…is that America is the best place on the planet to be black, female, gay, trans or what have you. We have our problems and need to address those. But our society and our systems are far from racist. America looks different if you grew up, as I did, in Africa and the Middle East.”
“There’s a reason the U.S. remains, as it has long been, the destination of choice for would-be migrants. We know that there is almost no difference in the unemployment rate for foreign-born and native-born workers – unlike in the European Union.”
The Wise Guy hopes but is not optimistic the views of Ms. Ali will gain traction in our national discourse. Rational dialogue, a religious perspective, and civility are being stamped out of the public square.
Furthermore, the Wise Guy does not assume the ardent madmen in the streets reflect the popular will. And that the adept tweeters, talkers, and trollers at their computers provide an accurate gauge of American consciousness. The Wise Guy laments that many political and business leaders are caving to the demands of the articulate, aggressive, and crazy few.
What concerns the Wise Guy even more is that alternative points of view are being suppressed. Free speech, a fundamental American idea, anchored in the 1st amendment of the Constitution, is under attack.
In an astounding and depressing development, some Catholic Bishops, acting out of naivete or weakness, are censoring, even removing, priests who comment on current events. The criteria for official disapproval appear not to be rationality or failure to support church teaching, but the viewpoint of the mob.
The wisdom of the Wise Guy does not extend far. If you seek definitive “words of wisdom,” you will be disappointed. As Catholics we seek guidance from Jesus and His Church. As Americans we look to our leaders and our constitution. What is the path forward?
The Wise Guy can say what it’s not. It’s not shouting, burning, and killing. It’s not suppressing rational discourse. Reconciliation of the many cultures in America can only be achieved by dialogue through the democratic process in peaceful voices with the help of the Lord. There is no other way.
Be one of the peaceful voices.